Tony Gwynn says he got a double dose of good news at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

“When I woke up and saw the clock, I just blurted out “I made it,’ ” the Hall of Fame outfielder said Friday during an interview in his room at UC San Diego’s Thornton Hospital.

“As soon as I realized that I had heard myself, I knew I could talk. We’re so far ahead of where we were last time.”

Gwynn continued to rest at the hospital Friday after Tuesday’s 14-hour surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his right cheek. The surgery was the second in a span of 18 months to treat cancer of the parotid gland.

The tumor and a nerve surrounded by the tumor were removed. The nerve was replaced with another taken from Gwynn’s neck and shoulder.

“The doctors say it will be 18 months before the nerve totally regenerates,” said the Padres great and San Diego State baseball coach.

“So there is much to do. But I feel so much better than I did after the 2010 procedure. Not only can I talk, but my eyes are working like they should. And I feel good. My next thing is to get home.”

The parotid gland is a salivary gland just forward of the lower ear on each side of the face. Gwynn also had radiation and chemotherapy treatments after the initial surgery in August 2010. But recent exams showed the cancer had returned.

“I wasn’t going to mess around this time,” said Gwynn. “The first time, they wanted to work around the nerve. This time they went and got it all out. I should have done this the first time.”

Alicia Gwynn, Tony’s wife, said 15 biopsies of the surrounding tissue taken during Tuesday’s surgery showed all the malignancy was removed. Gwynn has been told he will not have to have radiation or chemotherapy.

“The most surprising thing is how I feel,” said Tony Gwynn. “I didn’t expect to feel this good. I remember how I looked and felt after the first surgery. Given what they were doing, I automatically felt this was going to be worse.”

Gwynn was surprised to learn Wednesday that the surgery lasted 14 hours.

“We were told five hours, but that it could be longer depending on what was done,” said Gwynn. “Alicia said they did a great job keeping her informed. Maybe it’s best I didn’t know it was going to be that long.”

Gwynn said his wife spent part of Wednesday morning trying to get him to look in the mirror. “I didn’t want to because I was fearful of the worst, but she finally got me to look into a mirror. It’s why she’s the smarter one.”

With that, Gwynn laughed. And it was the deep laugh for which he is famous.

However, Gwynn admitted he was very concerned on the eve of the surgery, which was done in three stages by a team led by surgeons Dr. Robert Weisman (the director of Head and Neck Oncology) and Dr. Jeffrey Harris (chief of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery).

“I didn’t know if I was going to make it this time,” he said. “I was worried. That’s why I had that reaction when I woke up. I sort of blurted it out. Alicia was sleeping in a chair. I don’t think she expected me to come around and be talking.”

Gwynn’s agent, John Boggs, said Gwynn “sounds like the Tony we’ve known all along.” At times during the visit with Boggs and a reporter, Gwynn walked around the room.

“The next step is to get out of here,” Gwynn said of the hospital. “I sleep best at home. I can’t get comfortable in this bed. But everyone has been great.”

Gwynn said he hopes to return to coaching San Diego State’s baseball team as soon as a month from now and hopes to resume his role as an analyst on the Padres broadcast team this summer.

“Maybe for this season, I’d be better on radio than television,” said Gwynn, again laughing.

Gwynn said he was planning to watch San Diego State’s season opener Friday night on television. If he did, he saw a tribute from the Aztecs players, most of whom wore uniforms featuring Gwynn’s No. 19 (and one with his college No. 28) in pregame drills.

“Tell the people out there I feel great and appreciate the concern I’ve heard expressed,” said Gwynn. “I’m blessed that so many people care. I really mean that. That’s hit me pretty good.”